Lost Child of Pan
by Argentum Lingua
Summary: Hermione always had her suspicions about her parentage. Now, in America, she gets her answers after the Second War.
1. Prologue

I recently have gotten a certain love for crossovers involving Hermione. So here I am! Sorry that there are a lot of song changes in this one chapter. There are just so many themes. The suff below is IMPORTANT for you to know PLEASE READ IT OR YOU MIGHT BE CONFUSED!

Just So You Know:

-I like to show you what song to play while you read (PLEASE DON'T WASTE MY EFFORTS TO FIND MATCHING SONGS)

-The Pan in my story can change forms like most every other god in the series

-Pan says he is fading. Mr. Riordan attributes it to loss of Wild places (as do I)

-When Hermione sings, she doesn't use words. I imagine that it's kind of Little Mermaid singing

-Flowers are growing out of the _wooden floor_ on the _second_ floor of the house (it isn't the result of bad cleaning or something)

-For the song "Forbidden Friendship" I would suggest starting at about 1:30 or the song will be way too freaking long

-The Percy Jackson series and the Harry Potter series are fabulously written, just not by me

* * *

Song: Ron's Speech  
Artist: Alexandre Desplat  
Album: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

* * *

December 4, 1978

A darkened female shape called out in hushed tones through the darkness of the overgrown forest.

"Lord Pan! _Lord Pan!_ Where are you?"

In a graceful motion, a young man leaped down from a short elder tree. By the light of the sunset, his silhouette seemed to have a wild, glowing aura about it. His hair was an untamed nest of brown, eyes a twinkling honey and his goat-like legs quickly changed to their human form.

"Mary, I have told you more than once that you may call me simply Pan. And you needn't even call, I could see you," he added.

Her flustered reply was quiet in the moonlight, and the last three words almost not heard. "I thought, well … I thought—you wouldn't come."

"I had to see you one last time."

She registered the words and flung her arms around him, beginning to sob piteously in resignation of the fact that she would probably never see him again. She had known he would have to leave sometime because the forest around her home was slowly being killed and cut down. But if only he could stay for a bit longer.

Suddenly she blurted out the news that she had been holding in, "I'm… I'm Pregnant. With yours."

If Mary had expected him to be surprised, she thought wrong. It was almost like he knew that it was coming as all he did was nod with a flashing of pain in his eyes. The pain showed itself easily through his eyes, which were like windows to his emotions. They were what drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

She continued with downcast eyes and quiet speech, "I love you. Please. _Please_ don't leave me. I've looked all my life for someone who is my match, and you're it. You fill any and all voids I might have in my heart. Just stay. For the child. For me."

"You know that I am fading with time, love. Soon satyrs with give up their hope of my return, and my immortality won't be there. I will turn to dust. A memory. I have already trnsported most of my power to the child. She will probably show signs of power like mine in short quick bursts when she is younger, and that will grow stronger as she ages.

Mary had obviously known that her pleads wouldn't change his mind, but she asked the question that might weaken his resolve.

"Every child needs a dad. What should I say when the child asks for theirs?"

"Before I die I will visit Hypnos to alter the child's memory for a time until she is 17. The child will believe that she had a father with her. Then the magic will wear off, and you may reveal her father."

"Wait. You said _she_ and _her."_

Pan winced as if he never meant to tell about the gender, but continued as if he hadn't heard, "I also wanted you to give her a gift for her protection."

With a wave of his hand, a shrub grew and formed a small circle from a branch that he plucked of and handed to her. It was a delicate circlet of Blackwood, engraved with elaborate designs of swirls.

"It is an anklet that will hide her scent from any monsters that seek her for the time being. Like the memory adjustment, the safeguard will wear off at the age of 17. Later it will serve other purpose."

"You think of everything." Mary smiled at him with small rivers of tears trailing down her cheeks. Pan bent down and gave her a kiss that summed up as much feeling as it could in one kiss.

"I love you."

It was those honest words that made it a little bit easier—and a little bit harder—for her to turn away as he changed to his true god form. And it was with those honest words that he was gone.

* * *

Song: Forbidden Friendship  
Artist: John Powell  
Album: How to Train Your Dragon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* * *

November 19, 1983

At exactly 2:27 PM, A lithe, 4 year old Hermione Granger danced around her room after a long dance lesson at the ballet studio her mum thought would be fun to go to. It was fun. Dancing was an instinct to her. Her age group was learning small pirouettes, leaps, and how to dance on the tips of your toes, which were all things that she mastered easily.

Hermione often got carried away and began her own little dances which her instructor made tutting noises at. The dances she did felt like they were meant to be that way, though. Natural. It just felt like the music was going straight inside of her.

At the thought of the melody, she began to hum.

Then, sing.

Then, dance.

At first, the dancing took on a random rhythm. Then as her singing got louder, her ballet took on a certain pulse.

Hermione would leap into the air with her arms in a hoop in front of her while she spun. Then began walking on the ends of her toes, and spinning around once. Then she would kick with her toes pointed, spin around, and begin the same cycle with a leap. All the while, her song kept going.

Leap with a spin.

Toes in a line.

Spin and let out arms.

Kick with points on toes.

Spin and fold in arms.

Leap.

Toes.

Spin.

Kick.

Spin.

Leap.

Toes.

Spin.

Kick.

Spin.

Not once did she get dizzy, and in her concentration she failed to notice the small buds of flowers growing from where she stepped on the wooden floor. When her music got louder and more zealous the flowers bloomed to reveal Birds of Paradise, Orchids, and Calla Lilies.

The plant life seemed to sway with her dancing. Soon, almost her whole floor was a flower garden. By then, she had noticed all the lovely, colorful plants, and sang louder for them.

Suddenly, a flock of birds came off of the cover of a favorite book of hers. They were little, yellow canaries that sang their twittering song along with her. They all flew in a practiced line that swirled around young Hermione, being careful not to run into her.

Her whole room was alive with the buzzing currents of magic and power that could hardly be distracted. She had control over the magnificent rhythm of the room. She loved the pulsing effect of the flowers. She loved the swaying delicateness of the flowers. She was lost in a world of color.

Abruptly, Mary Granger, Hermione's mother, walked in.

"Sweetheart, what is—Oh my Goodness!"

This brought Hermione's concentration away from her beautiful new flower bed and singing fliers. The flora seeped back into the floor and the birds flew back into the book cover with small pops leaving a terrified mother, a delighted daughter, and the faint scent of flowers one only truly smells during the springtime.

Hermione made an observation.

"I make flowers and pretty birds! Like them Mommy?"

Mary's reply was forced and she had to plaster a fake smile on her face:

"Of course, love."

As her mother was leaving the room, Hermione could hear the scared, muttered words of her mother.

"He never said she would be this powerful. We need to leave. We'll go to England. Far away. A new life."

* * *

Song: Dislexia  
Artist: Christophe Beck  
Album: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

* * *

May 25, 2010

Hermione remembered the way her mum had pushed her to go out and have a little fun now that Voldemort was dead. She had wanted to go to some place in Europe, but her mum insisted that she go somewhere far. So she did. Nevada, America, to be exact.

It was a city full of lights, sounds, and excitement. Everything there was glamorous. She spent a bit of her time watching a few shows, and then some time shopping. She went there to explore a little, and have a bit of fun in the casinos. Hermione had just been at a casino when she had felt like getting a spot of air.

When she'd walked the streets, she had felt the threat of the dark alleys, and wished she could find shelter in somewhere.

She didn't have to wait long when she approached a welcoming hotel and casino. The Lotus. A doorman had greeted her with a kind smile.

"You look like you need a nice place to stay for a while! Come on in."

That was exactly what she did. What almost struck her as most odd was that right as she had gone in, a woman in uniform stopped her and gave her a casino credit card and room key. She had tried to tell the woman that she was just stopping in for a little while, but was just treated as though she was a slow child. But the whole operation was so inviting. They had games, movies, everything you could want all in one place. So she had made up the excuse to herself that they probably did it for everyone, and had gone to play a few games.

Right now, after a long session of indoor paintball, Hermione was ready to wind down. She headed over to the sliding doors to the deck for a look at the city. She couldn't remember the last time she had.

The city was so exciting. She could see the nearest bright buildings—wait what?

_What the heck?_

There weren't supposed to be buildings there. The last time she looked, there was only one nearby casino—now there were three newer hotels. They couldn't possibly have built those in the short time Hermione had been inside the Lotus. Hmm.

Could it _really _have been that long of a time?

Come to think of it, Hermione couldn't even recall the time she had been inside the casino.

_Oh God, _Hermione had just thought of the possibility that her memory was going because she had been there too long. Something in her mind told her something was up.

She needed to get out. Now.

Hermione grabbed her undetectably extended bag full of whatever she had forgone unpacking, her casino cash card (just in case), and her wand. The journey down through the elevator was quick, but she impatiently dashed out the opening doors.

As she passed each of them, workers called out to her if she would like a smoothie, t-shirt, or anything to distract her. She got closer to the door, and she could almost feel a force pulling her back to go play and enjoy herself. She kept running.

"Hey, where are you going? We just got a new wave-surfing room!"

The doorman's calls were completely ignored by Hermione who burst through the doors with a quick shove to them.

_Need the date. Need the date. Need—Ah! A newspaper machine._

Telling herself that now wasn't the time to feel guilty, she used a quick _Alohamora _to retrieve a much needed paper.

She was probably overreacting about it all. Because those builders were, perhaps, really quiet and quick at their job. She snorted at her absurd excuses. Surely her training with Aurors like Mad-Eye had taught her to be suspicious.

Right._ That is why you didn't question things before? Hmm Hermione?_

_Ah. There's the date. May 25—that _can't _be right._

The date said May 25, 2010.

14 years had passed since she entered the Lotus.

"Oh no, that's horrible!"

A mysterious cackle came out from the darkness of night. "Oh, it could get a lot more upsetting, sweet."

Hermione felt a smart blow of pain to the head, and she was swallowed by darkness.

* * *

Ooooooo! Intense. You will probably have to wait a while for another chapter, but not too long. I have a Christmas Break approaching (meaning: in 2 days) so I will have more chances to write soon. And probably more inspirations. Jolly Christmas!

Love,  
Helena


	2. Child of Pan?

Just So You Know:

-I don't have the energy to make up petty excuses for why my chapter took forever

-I didn't want the antagonist to be a complete creeper

-I still don't own both of the series

* * *

Song: The Wolf  
Artist: Miniature Tigers  
Album: The It to the Volcano

* * *

May 28, 2010

Percy slashed off another dummy's head with his sword.

Gods, when had things become so confusing? He wished there were no complications that came with girls. That they could be together without all this confusion, and then he wouldn't have to take out all his frustration on defenseless training dummies.

The only reason he was pondering this was because of, "'the latest drama at Camp Half-Blood since Travis Stoll being caught with a dryad in the Hermes cabin,'" as Grover had told him. Annabeth breaking up with him. He wasn't planning on obsessing over it, but, at the moment, he was trying to figure out when things had started going downhill.

Was it the fight before that one capture the flag game? Or was it the fight after the capture the flag game? Or maybe it was that one fight involving her getting soaked from lake water and him getting punched in the jaw back. Percy couldn't tell. Too many fights. Luckily, he had Rachel to talk to while she visited. Unluckily, she didn't have much advice for him.

"Maybe you guys were just too much of opposites? Things seemed to be working out when I was here at the end of last summer. Of course, that was when I became Oracle so she didn't need to worry about competition. It's probably, in some way, your fault."

"You know Rachel," Percy managed to grunt out as he hacked away at a vulnerable dummy, "maybe it's just me, but _you are not helping_."

"Well sorry if you asked me, as my girl self, to analyze the problems in your unrelationship."

"I'm fairly certain that 'unrelationship' isn't a word."

Rachel threw her arms up, "Oh pshaw, who cares?"

"Me. And most grammatically correct people out there."

She stuck her tongue out at him and went cross-eyed.

"Now that's the _mature_ way to handle things. Anyways, I wish I had something to do instead of train during my free time. Like an adventure."

Percy had been hoping she would ignore his not-so-subtle subject change, and, thankfully, she did (with a meaningful glance that said that conversation would continue later whether he wanted it to or not).

"Percy, one would almost think you _wanted _a life threatening quest."

"Well it's become a routine for me. I come to camp and get thinking, 'What quest might I possibly have _this _summer?'" He meant it as if talking to himself, but Rachel easily heard.

Percy, straight away, knew what was happening when she immediately stiffened and he _almost_ regretted asking. Rachel's eyes were glowing a brighter green than normal when she started spouting off a prophecy in a robotic tone as a response to Percy's seemingly harmless question:

" _A hero was lost to the slowing of time,_

_A powerful foe or ally sublime._

_Witch and demigod both united,_

_Her powers are great when they are cited._

_For 14 years she stayed in wait,_

_Her life took on a longer fate._

_To the place where time slows down,_

_Escaping later during sundown._

_Kidnapped without any preamble,_

_In the place where all men gamble._

_Her wand was snapped, arms in shackles,_

_Listening to all Discord's cackles._

_Find her with a quick plan,_

_Find the Lost Child of Pan._ "

_What the heck? Child of Pan?_ Percy could only stand there, dumbfounded, as Rachel awoke from her trance and began drilling him a million words a minute on what she said.

"We need to call together a meeting, Rachel," said Percy in a controlled voice, "Chiron will want to hear this."

* * *

Song: Trouble Is a Friend  
Artist: Lenka  
Album: Lenka

* * *

Percy's dreams after the cabin counselor's meeting were anything but discernable, which wasn't a surprise considering that practically all demigod dreams were confusing, and usually had something or other to do with any prophecy that was out there. You usually saw something important about somewhere or other on the Earth.

At the moment, he was in a dank, old room with no openings except a door that had the muffled sounds of excited shouting on the other side of the blank walls. It wasn't too sinister-looking of a room, but it wasn't somewhere you would want to live. There was the skittering sound of rats in the walls, and the incessant tapping of their claws wasn't the only sound.

What _was_ that other sound?

That was when Percy noticed a girl about his age curled in a corner, shivering from… was it the cold? Or fear? The girl had silvery shackles around her wrists and ankles and she was dressed in a simple grey t-shirt and jean skirt. Her hair was a wild curly brown mane that was a bushy pile on her head, but her face was hidden from view. She kept muttering the same words over and over again. Something about some guys who eat the dead and a dead volt mort. Whatever those were. The sound he had been hearing was the soft clinking noise of the chain links.

The sound of multiple locks on the door being opened resounded around the small room along with the sounds of what was party-goers on the other side, and Percy almost forgot that it was dream as he started to hide from the entering figure. When Percy expected a big bulky tough guy to enter into the room he was sorely mistaken. Instead there was a very pretty woman. Not _Aphrodite worthy_, but pretty all the same.

The woman had dark black hair and fair skin. She wore torn jeans, a ripped black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Most of it was torn or ripped in some way. She had the same type wraparound sunglasses Percy had seen on Ares along with the smirk on her face made her look up to no good. The thing that drew Percy's attention, though, was the pair of black wings attached to her. The Mist pushed his eyes from them, but when he concentrated enough he could see that the wings weren't sown on in any way but were attached to the womans back. They made her look like a darkened angel. Attractive but dangerous.

"So you are awake? Good, you're no fun when you sleep," The mysterious woman said.

To Percy's surprise, a honey eye peaked out from under the bushy hair of the girl in the corner, "What do you want from me? Are you one of Voldemort's followers?"

"Ah, Voldemort. The stupid being who fought petty battles. No, I am much more powerful than him." A deranged cackle escaped the woman's lips.

"Why do you have me here, then? Let me go!"

"No, I'm afraid that this is the best way to get the Olympians' attention. I'm always up for causing them a bit more of trouble," another cackle, "You could almost _call _me trouble. Or Strife. Or Discord. All of those are just _fine._"

"At least tell me who you _really_ are. Please?" The girl still looked angry at the woman, but had a tinge of true curiosity in her voice.

"Well, since you asked so nicely my 'dear', the name is Eris." The woman had contempt woven into her voice in a condescending way.

"You were named after the Greek goddess of discord?"

"No, no, no. I _am _the Greek goddess of discord." The woman's last cackle was punctuated by a gasp from the girl, and was looking towards Percy when he woke up.

* * *

Questions, suggestions, or comments are given to reviews. Please try to specify what your review is when you post that way I know whether to respond or not. I will occasionally ask for a response to one of my own questions and you can write that it is a response to whatever # question I ask. You'll figure it out.

For example,  
Question: How are you so freaking awesome? (I will respond)  
Suggestion: You should tone down your awesomeness. (I will respond)  
Comment: I love how awesome you are.  
Response to Question 1: hippo brains _all the way!_

Question 1. Get my system?

Merry 26th of December,  
Helena


	3. Eris Gives a Price

Just So You Know:

-Your reviews make me slightly nervous

-It's probably going to be random updates from now on. I think I'll call it randdates. 2 d's

-The songs are there for a reason

-_I know that the Lotus isn't some time traveling resort_. Hermione is just exploring possibilities

-I didn't remember exactly what Olympus looked like in the books, so yeah

-I hate text talk. Go ahead and tie me up with my own intestines and make me listen to Ke$ha if you want to torture me. No lol-ing or rofl-ing

-I, frankly, won't change my name or sex to be the author of the two series I am using. Nor will I move to Edinburgh, Scotland or San Antonio, Texas

Song: The Deathly Hallows  
Artist: Alexandre Desplat  
Album: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

May 31, 2010

Hermione looked worn.

The bags under her eyes had developed more and more, seemingly, with every minute. She was still in her skirt and t-shirt with no way to change, and she was beginning to produce a slightly more than noticeable smell of hippogriff feces.

She wasn't in Azkaban, but it seemed no better than the high-security prison.

Well, maybe she was stretching the truth a bit.

Hermione got meals at scheduled times of the day, the room had warmed a bit, and Eris never gave time to visit her except on the aforementioned feeding times (a blessing considering her 'on edge' nature). Hermione had also managed to find out where she was through the inference of the noise on the opposite side of the door. Most likely some casino.

None of this truly mattered to her as much as what she'd gathered before being whacked over the head.

Fourteen years had somehow managed to pass since she entered the Lotus.

Harry and Ron hadn't seen her in fourteen years.

Hermione knew that time travel was logical, and that, obviously, things must have changed, but she could barely come to terms with the fact that her two best friends' lives weren't really part of hers. They had to have had moved on. Ron could be some famous Quidditch player with fan girls all around him. Harry could be a terrific Auror who worked for the good of others around him as usual. All that time the water wheel of life was moving, and she was just a rock that was just _there_. Not getting old. Not getting a career. Not moving along with her friends. And just felt so hard to take those thoughts on all at once.

So now she just sat and waited for the arrival of Eris.

And waited.

And waited.

And passed the time with staring at the wall.

The whole time her brain was at work, thinking of productive things to do within her imprisoning room. The right side of her head said that she should sing, because that always used to calm her nerves. It was something Hermione only did without audience, and when she did she always got carried away with some unknown melody to a song seemingly built in her bones. Against what the right side of her brain said, the left side told her to keep quiet and enjoy what could possibly be the last bit of peace she would have in the hands of her captor. All the while the back of her head said that she should be proactive with her spare time, and practice her wandless magic in the hopes of evading her shackles.

The practical back of her head won out.

She first started with a simple _Lumos_ to give the room more illumination than the light bulb on a chord hanging from the ceiling. Since her wand was nowhere on her person she had to make the normal flicks with her both of her hands. She made sure to pronounce the syllables correctly and concentrate as much as she could on channeling her magic. When she expected a simple flicker, she was completely mistaken.

Out of Hermione's hands came a vivid light that helped her to clearly see the rest of the room that she had been unable to see for the while she had been in there. The were torn, graying pictures on the wall of bands she had never seen or heard of before, and in the corner opposite her position was a straight-backed chair with a leg missing. Although unsteady-looking, it would suffice for a place to rest better.

Shakily, Hermione rose to her legs. She hadn't used her legs except to get up for food, so she stumbled a few times in the process of reaching her seat.

Left Leg.

Right Leg.

Left Leg.

Right Leg.

When she made it to the chair where she could _properly_ rest herself uncomfortably, she began continuing her wandless magic practice by the light of her _Lumos _until Eris unbolted the many locks on the door and came inside.

"Time for the show," The confusion etched on Hermione's face as she was tied up to the chair by the winged goddess was easily visible with the light in the room. "Give them something interesting to look at."

Eris exited the room only to enter again with a simple garden hose, and begin adjusting the nozzle.

"Shower…. Jet…. Ah! Mist. Here we go." The goddess adjusted the hose so it pointed into the air, and with a snap of her hands, fine mist began spraying out of the head. By the light of the continuing _Lumos,_ rainbows were settled across different parts of the room. A tied-up Hermione continued watching as Eris took strangely inscribed gold coins and through them both into the two most heavily misted areas of the room. She called out two different places in turn.

Toss, "Mt. Olympus," Toss, "Tartarus." Immediately, the two deeply misty areas began to reveal shapes and, gradually, people.

The first area showed a group of people all sitting around a large hearth. There were a total of eleven, with one throne empty, and each sat his or her own throne in a U-like shape and each person varied from the next. The only empty throne seemed to be made of grape vines. Stranger still, some of them were dressed in modern day clothes, like a man in fishing gear and a man in biker gang attire, while others were clad in what could only be described as golden, Grecian armor. All of them ceased their unison arguing as their images solidified in the mist. The picture of them all there was amazingly beautiful, and it was hard for Hermione to tear her eyes away from them and look at the next misty cloud.

She immediately regretted looking away.

In front of her was an astonishing darkness that brought chills to her skin. Every few seconds a flash of fire appeared and illuminated nightmarish faces. As she looked on, she saw a giant bull head that was open in an almost human yell. This was easily explained when she spied the rest of the body in a flare of light. It had a mottled body that seemed to be taking shape before her eyes in what looked to be an extremely painful way. In the sparks of luminosity, a random appendage would occasionally appear and then be swallowed back into the body. The next countenance she saw was that of a woman, and it didn't take long for Hermione figure out that the lower half of her body was attached to two longs snake trunks with mottled scales set aflame.

Looking at these horrible creatures was like looking at a car crash. You covered your face with your hands, but you couldn't help but peek through your fingers.

Through the much more pleasant image came a shout, "What are you doing this time, Eris? Who is that girl?" To this voice Eris put up a hand for silence to the reply, "You little parasite! How dare—!"

"Brother, I think your dramatics aren't needed at the moment." This declaration came from the man she saw earlier, the one in the fishing gear.

"Cheers to that. Now, will you let me speak?" Eris's impatient voice rang out and which prompted a curt nod from the owner of the voice Hermione had first heard, "You are already seeing your reason not to argue. This 'precious,' powerful girl could probably bring your reign to an end. Now, Zeusie dear, no interruptions. This young girl holds the power of a witch and a demigod. You're probably going to ask, 'whose child is she?' I'll get to that. But right now I need to show you _Olympians_ and the forming monsters what this girl can do." As Eris finished her cryptic monologue, she brought out a small piece of wood. About eleven inches long, it could be seen to be made of Vinewood, and Hermione knew the core to be Dragon Heartstring.

Because it was her wand.

Eris began again, "I believe that the best way to get a response out of anyone is to put them under a bit of pressure." She turned to address Hermione, "Girl, do you see what this is? I'm sure you recognize your own wand." She gave a wicked smile. "Show them what you can do, or I'll snap this dear stick into itty, bitty pieces."

"No!" Hermione struggled against her bonds, but gave no indication that she would do anything.

"Give us a real show, lovey." Eris now had a strange gleam in her eye as the bound girl continued to try at escape. "All you have to do is—there we go!" Hermione had conjured her usual flock of canaries with larger sum, and all of were trying, and failing, at pecking the wand out of Eris's grasp.

The most prominent god in the mist, presumably Zeus, was chuckling now, "Hecate's children can create stronger magic than that in a snap. How would _she_," he indicated Hermione, "Have enough to bring us, on Mt. Olympus, down?" He made sure to enunciate each word.

Eris gave a strange choked sound. Obviously, she didn't like being ridiculed by Zeus.

She turned to her captive and put her face at close distance and hissed, "This here wand is going to be snapped to pretty little pieces if you don't show us something _real_. Be a dear and don't make me do it." There was a threatening glint in her eyes that one would only, usually, see in Bellatrix Lestrange's eyes. She wasn't bluffing.

Hermione searched her mind in concentration of a spell to ease the winged goddess in front of her. _Lumos _surely wouldn't do, how would _Tarantallegra _be of any use, and goddesses didn't seem like they could be petrified. Those were all spells that were easy and didn't require such power of a wand in her grasp. She contorted her face in concentration, and Eris looked on in expectation. She summoned up as much magic in her blood as she could and let it flow out as she opened her eyes to observe what she came out with.

More canaries.

Great.

"That's it?" Hermione distinctly heard the sound of wood splintering against the pressure of the goddess's hands, "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. Time to bring out the thing that you. Value. Most. Or should I say person that you value most." Eris's cackles faded from the room only to intensify as she reentered the room with an elderly, shaking woman. She had graying, curly hair that flowed about her head. Her face was one of uncertainty and her grey-blue eyes showed trepidation clearly through them. When she was pushed forward by an angry Eris, she looked ahead of her to see Hermione looking back with the same emotion in her own eyes. Strong recognition.

"Mum!"

"Hermione?"

The former of these said her daughter's name with a mix of joy and fear.

"Oh, what a lovely reunion. You get back over here! Time to test your dearest Hermione's power under pressure." Eris sing-songed like the cat that had caught the canary.

She had pulled out a dagger from her belt. It was a long and glowing silver metal that was currently pressed to Mary Granger's throat. Said woman trembled as she was held against Eris.

"You _will _show me your abilities. You will obey. You have ten seconds or your mother shall have a slit throat. Understand?" The words were said in a deadly quiet whisper that frightened Hermione more than yelling ever had.

"Ten."

"I can't! You must stop! Please!"

"Nine."

The god dressed in fishing gear spoke out, "Enough of your nonsense, Eris. Let the mother and her daughter go."

"Eight."

As she counted down the seconds, Hermione's pleas got louder and more desperate, the gods and goddesses yells more commanding, and the anguished cries of the monsters more bloodthirsty. Still, Eris continued.

"Four."

"Please! I can't do this! Take me instead! Don't hurt her!"

"Three."

More yelling and shouting.

"Two."

"STOP!"

It was with that cry from Hermione that the floodgates of her magic were let loose.

Eris watched on in a twisted sense of glee as the concrete floor began to crack and tremble. Thick roots sprung up from the ground and began growing rapidly. The roots began taking on lives of their own as one of them knocked the dagger safely out of harm's way and as another grabbed Mary Granger around the waist, lifted her off her feet and proceeded to bring her over to Hermione. In the way someone might appear arriving after apparating, two wild pigs emerged from thin air and started squealing as they ran wild around Eris. Hermione's ropes melted off of her with a yell of _'Funisolvo', _and a wall of fire surrounded what was left of the Granger family in protection from a call of '_Ignismunio.'_

With fiery wall still going and loud hog's squeals continuing, Eris let out a loud whoop of triumph over the noise for the results of her provocation. "And now, dearest Olympians and monsters, you see what I mean. This child can perform strong feats of wandless magic, and has the powers of her sire. An amazing weapon! And the great thing about it all is that her mind can easily be erased so she is willing to work for whomever she is given to." Eris looked pointedly towards the roaring monsters. "She is also the last child of her sire's."

Most gods and goddesses in the mist gave looks of confusion, while one woman with knowing gray eyes and long black hair seemed to be going through a mental list. The monsters, as usual kept at their morphing shapes, but Mary Granger was the only one who showed the most understanding in Eris's words.

"Well, Mary, I'll leave you to tell our lovely viewers who exactly I'm talking about." Said Eris in a commanding way.

"Err…She…Well—Pan is her father."

The gods and goddesses gave the appropriate gasps and shouts at the words.

"Never!"

"Pan got some? Ha!"

"I see the resemblance now."

"Imagine what she could do."

Eris smirked at them all, "If you Olympians want this little prize of mine, I must be given a place within you all. If a monster wants her, all they have to do is get here before you make your—correct—choice. I suggest you grant me my wish."

With that, Eris waved her hand through both mists and left a shivering mother to hold her worn-out daughter.


End file.
